# US 11,898,236 B2 · Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,898,236 B2
- Document ID: US11898236B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/506,075
- Filed: 2021-10-20
- Published: 2023-04-20
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2021-10-20
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Zhiyong Wang; Halbert Chong; John C. Forster; Irena H. Wysok; Tiefeng Shi; Gang Fu; Renu Whig; Keith A Miller; Sundarapandian Ramalinga Vijayalakshmi Reddy; Jianxin Lei; Rongjun Wang; Tza-Jing Gung; Kirankumar Neelasandra Savandaiah; Avinash Nayak; Lei Zhou
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898236B2

## CPC

- C23C 14/345: {using substrate bias}
- C23C 14/3485: {using pulsed power to the target}
- C23C 14/564: {Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases}
- H01J 37/32027: {DC powered}
- H01J 37/32091: {the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma}
- H01J 37/32174: {Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge}
- H01J 37/32862: {In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts}
- H01J 37/34: operating with cathodic sputtering (H01J37/36 takes precedence {; methods of cathodic sputtering C23C14/34})
- C23C 14/50: Substrate holders
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, a processing chamber for processing a substrate comprises a sputtering target, a chamber wall at least partially defining an inner volume within the processing chamber and connected to ground, a power source comprising an RF power source, a process kit surrounding the sputtering target and a substrate support, an auto capacitor tuner (ACT) connected to ground and the sputtering target, and a controller configured to energize the cleaning gas disposed in the inner volume of the processing chamber to create the plasma and tune the sputtering target using the ACT to maintain a predetermined potential difference between the plasma in the inner volume and the process kit during the etch process to remove sputtering material from the process kit, wherein the predetermined potential difference is based on a resonant point of the ACT.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A processing chamber for processing a substrate, comprising:
a chamber wall at least partially defining an inner volume within the processing chamber and configured to be connected to ground;
a power source comprising an RF power source configured to be connected to a sputtering target, when installed in a lid of the processing chamber;
a process kit surrounding a substrate support disposed in the inner volume;
an auto capacitor tuner (ACT) configured to be connected to ground and the sputtering target, when the sputtering target is installed; and
a controller configured to:
control the RF power source to energize a cleaning gas disposed in the inner volume of the processing chamber to create a plasma during an etch process; and
control the ACT to maintain a predetermined potential difference between the plasma in the inner volume and the process kit during the etch process to remove sputtering material from the process kit,
wherein the predetermined potential difference is based on a resonant point of the ACT, wherein the process kit comprises a shield and
wherein the resonant point is about 58% to about 75% of total tuning capacitance such that the controller is configured to control the etch process so that an edge of the shield at a rate of about 11.7 Å/s, a top of the shield at a rate of about 11.5 Å/s, and a corner of the shield at a rate of about 12 Å/s.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the resonant point is about 60% of the total tuning capacitance.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the power source further comprises a DC power source configured to provide pulsed DC to the sputtering target, when the sputtering target is installed, for physical vapor deposition.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The processing chamber of claim 3, further comprising a relay box connected to the DC power source and configured to disconnect the DC power source from the processing chamber during the etch process.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The processing chamber of claim 3, wherein the process kit comprises:
the shield having a cylindrical body having an upper portion and a lower portion;
an adapter section supported on walls of the processing chamber and having a resting surface to support the shield; and
a heater coupled to the adapter section to heat the shield during use.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas is at least one of boron (B), fluorine (F), nitrogen (N), niobium (Nb), oxygen (O2), ozone (O3), hydroxide (OH), peroxide (H2O2), chlorine (Cl2), or sulfur (S).

### Claim 7

A method for cleaning a process kit disposed in an inner volume of a processing chamber, comprising:
energizing a cleaning gas disposed in the inner volume of the processing chamber to create a plasma; and
controlling an auto capacitor tuner (ACT), connected to ground and to a sputtering target disposed in the inner volume, using a controller configured to tune the ACT to maintain a predetermined potential difference between the plasma in the inner volume and a process kit during an etch process to remove sputtering material from the process kit, wherein the predetermined potential difference is based on a resonant point of the ACT, wherein the process kit comprises a shield and wherein the resonant point is about 58% to about 75% of total tuning capacitance such that the controller is configured to control the etch process so that an edge of the shield at a rate of about 11.7 Å/s, a top of the shield at a rate of about 11.5 Å/s, and a corner of the shield at a rate of about 12 Å/s.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the resonant point is at about 60% of the total tuning capacitance.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising disconnecting a DC power source during the etch process using a relay box, wherein the DC power source is configured to provide pulsed DC to the sputtering target for physical vapor deposition.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the process kit comprises:
the shield having a cylindrical body having an upper portion and a lower portion;
an adapter section supported on walls of the processing chamber and having a resting surface to support the shield; and
a heater coupled to the adapter section to heat the shield.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
maintaining the sputtering target at a first temperature; and
heating the shield of the process kit to a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the first temperature is about 50° C. to about 100° C., and wherein the second temperature is about 250° C. to about 300° C.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the cleaning gas is at least one of boron (B), fluorine (F), nitrogen (N), niobium (Nb), oxygen (O2), ozone (O3), hydroxide (OH), peroxide (H2O2), chlorine (Cl2), or sulfur (S).

### Claim 14

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for cleaning a process kit disposed in an inner volume of a processing chamber, comprising:
energizing a cleaning gas disposed in the inner volume of the processing chamber to create a plasma; and
controlling an auto capacitor tuner (ACT), connected to ground and to a sputtering target disposed in the inner volume, using a controller configured to tune the ACT to maintain a predetermined potential difference between the plasma in the inner volume and a process kit during an etch process to remove sputtering material from the process kit, wherein the predetermined potential difference is based on a resonant point of the ACT, wherein the process kit comprises a shield and wherein the resonant point is about 58% to about 75% of total tuning capacitance such that the controller is configured to control the etch process so that an edge of the shield at a rate of about 11.7 Å/s, a top of the shield at a rate of about 11.5 Å/s, and a corner of the shield at a rate of about 12 Å/s.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the resonant point is at about 60% of the total tuning capacitance.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising disconnecting a DC power source during the etch process using a relay box, wherein the DC power source is configured to provide pulsed DC to the sputtering target for physical vapor deposition.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the process kit comprises:
the shield having a cylindrical body having an upper portion and a lower portion;
an adapter section supported on walls of the processing chamber and having a resting surface to support the shield; and
a heater coupled to the adapter section to heat the shield.